Our Top Ten Spring Reading Roundup

Whether it’s time to get a head start on your Summer tan on the patio or you’re impatiently waiting for just a little warmer weather, a good book is definitely a good part of your scene. And now is a great time to check out our Spring Reading Roundup and find one.

From all of those that come across our desks here at Ms Career Girl, here’s ten of our favorites. They’re in no particular order, there’s sure to be at least a couple that will be calling your name.

About Self and Life

The Strengths Book

It’s no secret that people usually enjoy what they’re good at. And passion can easily grow from the fertile soil of success mixed with liking what you’re doing. Author Sally Bibb shows you how to identify your strengths and play them to your advantage in both business and personal settings. And it’s not just another collection of over-used cheerleading quotes. Rather, it reads like an easy reading chat session with a caring friend or relative combined with a workbook you’ll actually enjoy doing. In perfect purse size, a great one to carry along and fill those spare moments with something that can change your day, or maybe your life.

Things To Do On Route 66 Before You Die

Route 66 is the iconic 50’s road of American folklore. Running from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, it’s world famous and attracts tourists and adventurers from all the corners of the globe. Dotted with countless wonders and must see/must experience places, it’s pretty much impossible to see it all. If you’ve got a Summer road trip in mind, author and Route 66 expert Jim Hinckley sorts it out for you with his 100 favorite points to plot on your map. Now that’s a memorable road trip!

Dog Training The American Male

When your best furry friend misbehaves, what do you do? Get him some training. When your significant other decides a dog is just what your rocky relationship needs to get better, what do you do? Adopt the same training techniques you’re using on fido to do a bit of housebreaking and training on him, of course. Funny yet packed with plenty of usable inspiration, read this one with a glass of wine, a wink, and come away with some new insights about the care and feeding of that thing called “a man.” You might want to keep this little jewel by L.A. Knight out of sight until you devour all it’s wisdom yourself!

The Beauty of Dirty Skin

Wait. Beauty and dirty skin? Yes, the author Whitney Bowe says. The beauty is in the incredibly powerful connections between your gut, your brain, and your skin. Every day, your brain is sending you messages about your gut via the biggest human organ, your skin. We’ve all seen the obvious evidence of lives lived poorly, such as the lined faces and unhealthy skin of smokers. But to whatever extent the gut and body isn’t being properly cared for, that’s reflected in our outer appearance. Bowe presents plenty of hard facts and a three week program to get you on your way to a healthier body, and a fuller, happier life.

The Business of Being

Write your name here: ____________________, Inc. That’s you. You are in the business of being. Living. That includes all you do, both in business and in your personal life. As you learn to be congruent in all of your life with your purpose and passion you’ll find greater measures of success, inner peace, and real satisfaction. Author Laurie Buchanan does an artful job of reframing life as a whole, and yours to embrace in a wonderfully new way. This must-read gem is not due out until July, but it’s so good you’ll want to add it to your books to read list now.

About Work and Business

Burn The Business Plan

Two of the most often heard “truths” of modern business success stories are that you have to have a great plan, and that most successful businesses are started by young entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. But author Carl J. Schramm says both are false. If you want an inside look at what it really takes to be a successful entrepreneur (and who typically is ) get this book. Over 30 and don’t have a business plan, just a great idea and a burning desire? That describes the majority of those who succeed. Read the book and get your entrepreneurial game on.

Stop Selling and Start Leading

If you throw a bunch of seeds casually into the field, you may or may not be eating next season. In the words of a sales manager I once worked for, that’s equivalent to throwing a bunch of sh*t against the wall and see what sticks. But if you invest the time to cultivate the field, gradually making it more fertile and supportive of sustained output, you’ll likely find years of bountiful harvests ahead. The authors of Stop Selling and Start Leading show how selling that is based on collaborative leadership is what is winning and how you can incorporate it into your own sales career. A must read for anyone starting out in sales.

Inc.: Start a Successful Business

Tired of the grind? Had enough of building someone else’s dream? If you’re ready to launch your own business, what better resource to turn to that the people who produce Inc? Rather that ferret through a stack of inspiring books on starting your own business, grab this one. Produced by the editors of Inc, headed up by Colleen Debaise, it’s full of guidance from conceptual studies, to what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, from the mouths of those who have done it. This is the book your grandpa wishes he had.

Being Boss

Being the boss has all the rewards you imagined. You’ve also learned there are on-going challenges, and tough decisions that must be made all too often. Being Boss podcast creators Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson share their combined expertise to shed light on how, as the boss, you can keep your head on straight, have focused goals and habits, and extinguish money worries by remembering and executing your personal value proposition. Think of this book as the the perfect pocket counselor for the boss.

Leadership Built on Why

Whether you’re just starting your own career or know a graduating high school senior, now is the time to start clarifying your thoughts and goals on being a future leader and making a real contribution to our world. Author Anni Keffer says in order to create that kind of legacy, you need to re-frame your notion of leadership to two simple words – Knowledge and Action. If that sounds almost too simplistic, take a breath and let her show you how. Effective doesn’t have to be hard. What a great book to gift to those just entering the world of work!